Depression and Childhood Stress - Is Your Child At Risk?

Do you ever think back to your childhood? If you do, do you think that children have not a care in the world? It is easy to think that childhood is a lot less stressful than adulthood - after all, children don't have to worry about going to work, paying bills, or filing tax returns. They don't have complicated adult relationships to worry about either - but childhood is not all ball games and candy - many children do have to deal with a lot of stress and depression.

The Environment

Children who are brought up in a hostile environment - perhaps because of abuse, or because of problems with the relationship between their parents. Divorce, financial disruption, or even moving house, can be a problem for children. Those who suffer from learning disabilities, or physical disabilities, can often end up feeling stressed or depressed, leading to problems in later life.

Biological Vulnerability: Your Child May Be At Risk

Some children are at a higher risk for experiencing stress and depression because of an inherited tendency for stress and depression. Often this is caused by the chemical imbalance occurring in the brain. Unfortunately, many parents are not aware of the child's stress and depression. What often happens is that parents underestimate the condition often considering it a natural part of the developmental phase. But the experience of childhood stress and depression is not different from that of adults. It may severely affect the world perception of a child and make it profoundly distorted. In other words, this should be addressed immediately.

What Are The Consequences?

Those who are stressed or depressed as a child can go on to experience mood disorders and psychological disorders in later life - a child who feels anxious or lonely can end up with low self esteem, which can manifest itself in poor academic performance, as well as lead to problems interacting with their peers. This can go on to become a cycle - with the child being concerned about their poor performance, and believing that it is their fault, leading to more depression, and more problems.

What Can You Do?

As an adult, it is important that you try to understand the problems that children face, and if you see a child who appears to feel anxious, unloved, stressed, or depressed, that you try to help them. Do not single a child out in front of their peers, as this can sometimes make the situation worse. Instead, offer advice and keep a watchful eye on them. As a teacher try to ensure that the child receives the academic support they need, and tell the parents if you think that there is something wrong that they do not know about. As a parent, seek medical advice if you think your child has a learning disability or any problem that a child specialist could help with, and always be there to listen to your child and make them feel loved.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

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